CA1163855A - Process for producing a fish product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A FISH PRODUCT

Abstract of the Disclosure Red or dark meat portions of whole fish are restruc-tured and preferably combined with light meat fillets or loins to produce a palatable, nutritious fish product. The process comprises comminuting the red meat, trim, including bellies, carcass and skin of the fish to form a minced meat mass that is colored with a heat stable dye to resemble the natural color of the fish and delicately extruded through an orifice at room temperature, the minced meat is then heat set or cooked and decolored and dewatered to form a restructured product which, after retort cooking, has the chewy texture, aroma and flavor and color of the more desirable loin or fillet portions of the fish. The restructured product may be combined with cooked loins or fillets to produce a product which closely resembles 100%
loins or fillets.

Description

Back~round of the Invention This lnventlon relates to restructured fish product and more partlcularly, to a method of produclng a ~lsh product that utillzes about 50% to about 60% by weight of the whole fish.
A substantlal portlon of the available proteln ln fish is discarded during processing and used as anlmal feedstuff or fertlllzer. The portlon of the flsh that ls utllized in anlmal feedstuffs comprises red meat, trlmmlngs, lncluding tails, car-casses and skln, etc., which normally aren't acceptable in terms o~ appearance as an lngredlent in human foods. The unacceptabllity of certaln portlons of fish for human cons,umption leads to pro-cesslng lnefficiencies.,and a void ln filllng the nutrltional feeds of lndlviduals.
Efforts have been made to produce acceptable products for human consumption from the red or dark meat portions of fish.
Brltish Patent 1,108,188 shows the extraction of fish proteln by treatlng flsh for two hours at a pH Or about 13 and a temperature o~ 50C., and a~ter purlflcation, the solution ls deodorlzed wlth a peroxide solution having a concentration of 0.015% by welght, and a pH o~ 8.5, at a temperature of 80C., for two hours. ~.S.
Patents 4,060,644 and 4,136,204 show the bleachlng of undissolved flsh skeletal meat wlth a dllute aqueous solutlon of hydrogen peroxlde and up to 10% by welght polyphosphate, preferably sodlum trlpolyphosphate at a pH of 10,5 to 11.5. The hydrogen peroxlde ls removed wlth catalase at a pH of 7.5 to 8.o. The pH o~ the bleached fish ls then lowered to 6 to 7 by belng washed wlth a ~ood acld. There ls no indication of lmproved texture of thls product partlcularly when combined with light colored fish meat.
In British Patent 1,400,876, the use o~ hydrogen pero-3 xlde to decolorize fish flesh at a pH of not more than 9.5 and ata temperature of between 30 and 70C., is shown. Trash fish flesh .~

1 163~S5 is mixed with aqueous sodium hydroxide and heated to 50C. The disclosure states the protein recovered from solution is unsuitable as a substitute or filler for animal proteins for human consumption because of inadequate nutritional quality. A
protein isolate is prepared in U.S. 3,879,370 which is decolorized by hydrogen peroxide and deodorized by extraction with isopropanol. The nutritional value of the white isolate powder is adequate but it has undesirable texture for a restructured meat product.
The present invention relates to a process and product wherein dark meat from fish is restructured and substantially decolored to provide a nutritious, palatable food product and in a preferred embodiment, combined with light meat from fish to provide a palatable/ nutritious fish product utilizing up to about 50~ to about 60% by weight whole fish.
Summary of the Invention The present invention comprises a process for decolorizing and restructuring red or dark meat o~ fish so that it resembles the white or light meat fillet or loin portions of fish.
The invention pertains to a process for producing a fish product comprising comminuting red meat portions of fish including trim, bellies, carcass and skin to form a minced meat mass, adding a heat stable red dye so that the color of the minced meat matches the natural color of the fish after retorting, mechanically working and extruding the minced meat mass through a restricted orifice at room temperature, heat setting or cooking the extruded minced meat, and decoloring the extruded minced meat so that it resembles loin portions of fish.
Thus the present invention seeks to restructure and decolor the dark or red meat portions of fish and to prepare a nutritious decolored meat product similar in appearance to loin portions of fish having a light color. The decolored, restructured meat product may be combined with loin portions of the fish in a ratio of about 40 to 80 3 _ 3 _ `~ 1 163855 .`
by weight so that about 50Z to about 60~ of the whole fish, pre-ferably about 95% of the available muscle meat, may be utllized as a human food source.
Detailed Dlscusslon Substantially all portions Or fish may be utllized efficlently and economically in the process of the present inven-tlon to provlde a flsh product acceptable and palatable to human tastes. Although there are many types of fish processed and used commerclally, thls lnvention was concelved and developed largely for the decolorlng and restructurlng of red or dark meat found ln tuna and tuna-llke specles whlch lnclude, but ls not limited to, sklp~ack, yellowfln, albacore, bonlto, blue fln, blg eye, yellow-tall, mackerel, etc. The utlllzation of flsh accordlng to the improved process of the present lnventlon lncreases process flow e~lclencles so that small flsh, up to nlne to eleven pounds ln welght, can be processed for cannlng in an efficlent, economical manner. Prevlously, by-products of the flsh processing have been ¢onverted to flsh meal and anlmal foods. The present lnventlon permits the utllizatlon of red or dark meat from trlmmlngs, bel-lles, bone and mlnimal amounts Or skln in a palatable nutrltious~ood product acceptable for human consumptlon.
The preferred startlng material ls fresh or thawed tuna or tuna-like fish welghing about nlne to eleven pounds. Both larger and smaller ~lsh may be processed efficiently and economi-; cally, but due to increased flshlng pressure of selected specles, i~ the average slze Or the preferred flsh utlllzed by tuna canners, sklp~ack and yellowfln tuna, has been decreaslng. The slze of the , flsh is not intended to be limitlng, but ls merely suggested due t' to the avallabllity of flsh. Fish can be economlcally processed according to the present inventlon that welgh as little as onepound or as much as one hundred pounds or more.

In accordance with the present invention, the head and viscera of the fish are removed mechanically or manually dependlng on the size of the fish. For the sake of efficiency, this opera-tion is preferably performed mechanically particularly on fish weighing nine pounds or less. Additionally, the loins or fillets can be removed from the fish at this time. This step can also be performed manually or by machine but the result is to produce lolns or fillets of the whlte or light colored portlons of the fish. The red meat portions of the fish particularly, the red meat found in the loin or fillet extending laterally through the loin parallel to the backbone of the fish, can be removed manually from the loln with a sharp knife. The red meat is trimmed off loin or fillet portions and separated. The loins are then skinned manually or by machine in such a manner to minimize cutting loss. The loins are then passed through a continuous cooker at a temperature sufficient to create an internal temperature of 47C to 66C, preferably 55C
to 58C for loins. The duratlon of cooklng i8 dependent on the size o~ the loin. The lolns are then cooled and cut or dlced into flbrous bundles. With no intentlons to be unduly llmltative, the ~oins may be diced so that the layers of fibers are in 1 cubic lnch chunks of flsh muscle. Alternatively, the loins may be cooked prior to the trimmlng of the red or dark meat.
The red or dark meat portlons lncludlng the trimmings from the light meat loln or flllets, skin, and carcass contain appreclable quantities of highly nutritlous flesh but have a low commerclal value when converted to flsh meal or animal food because of the high content of bone and fat, the poor color and limited storage capacity. In accordance with the present invention the above-mentioned materials can be easily produced into a pro-duct acceptable for human consumption. These materials are sub-~ected to mechanical bone removal methods. With no intention to limlt the present inventlon, suitable methods of achieving separa-tlon of bone and other hard lnedible material include a process where flesh is pressed through perforations in a drum, while leaving the bone. Deboning devlces which utlllze thls process are manu~actured by Beehive Machinery, Inc., Sandy, Utah and Nordischer Maschienbau Rnd. Baader, Lubeck, Germany. Preferably, the carcass and the skin are passed through the device be~ore the other materlals. The bone resldue ls separated and made into bone meal or other by-products.
The flsh obtalned after removal of substantially all of the bone wlll usually be ln the form Or mlnced meat or finely dlvlded ~lsh muscle.
The commlnuted mlnced meat or flnely dlvlded fish muscle mass is then restructured. The mlnced meat is preferably mixed with an oll to facllitate restructuring and to provide a better mouthfeel. Optlonally, about 1-20% unsaturated vegetable oil may be admlxed with the minced meat. Preferably, however, a hydro-genated vegetable oil such as any commercially available as general purpose or all purpose vegetable oll or shortening in a llquld or solid form at room temperature, ls used ln amounts ranglng from about 1 to about 3% by welght, more preferably about 1% by welght.
Wlth no lntent to llmlt the lnventlon, the hydrogenated vegetable oils are preferred to prevent any unnecessary unsaturated fat ~rom reacting ln subsequent decolorlng steps utlllzing hydrogen peroxlde.
An important sequence o~ steps ln the process of the present lnvention lnvolves the restructurlng and decolorlng of the mlnced meat. However, prlor to restructurlng the mlnced meat must be treated with a sultable heat stable red dye, such as FD&C #3.
The heat stable dye ls added to the minced meat before restruc-turlng and decolorlng to lnsure the proper color of the fish is malntained through the steps of restructuring, decolor~ng and retorting the meat product. Accordingly, an effective amount of any conventlonal heat stable red dye may be added to the minced meat to match the natural color of the ~ish, preferably tuna after retortlng. Preferably, amounts rang~ng from about 10 to about 30 mg of the heat stable red dye are added to each kilogram of mlnced meat~ preferably 20 mg/kg.
As a flavoring aid, whole dried egg may optionally be added to the minced meat in an amount ranglng from about 0.5 to about 2% by weight, preferably 1% by weight.
The minced meat mass is thoroughly mixed, cold extruded and cooked to restructure the meat ~ibers to the desired texture and consistency. The restructuring of the mlnced meat can be most convenlently carried out ln an extrusion device where the mlnced meat ls mechanlcally worked and passed through a restricted orl~ice at room temperature. Any sultable cold extrusion device may be utlllzed such as a Bac~ flller manufactured by Phlllip Bock Manu~acturlng Company o~ Los Angeles, California wlth a slmple pump to extrude the mlnced meat through a restricted orlfice into rlbbon-llke strands approximately one lnch wide and 1/8 lnch to 1/16 lnch ln thlckness. Another sultable cold extrusion device is - a pump manufactured by Waukeshaw Manufacturing Company of Waukeshaw Wlsconsin 53186 whereln the mlnced meat materlal ls pumped through a flexlble plastlc hose to a nozzle and extruded lnto a slngle double layered rlbbon. The form of the extrudate ls not lntended to be llmlting but lt ls preferred for lt resembles flakes of tuna commonly recognlzed by the consumer. The ribbon-llke extruded materlal ls passed lnto a water bath at a temperature below that which wlll extract the oil present in the material. Usually 90C
3 is preferred, however, the temperature may be as low as 75C. The B
~ 7 ~.

1 16385~

cooking or heat setting time depends upon the temperature of the water and the thickness of the extruded material. If the water temperature is 90C and the thlckness of the product 1/8 inch to 1/16 inch, the protein present in the extruded material will become denatured in about sixty seconds. Other means within the knowledge of one skilled in the art besldes a hot water bath may be utilized to heat set the rlbbon like material. However, a hot water bath is preferred.
After cooking or heat setting, the temperature of the water may be decreased to about 70C prior to the additlon of hydrogen peroxide. Alternately, the heat set extruded material may be removed and plaeed ln another water bath at thls tempera-ture. The pH of the solution should be in the range of 4.0 to 8.0, preferably 6.o to 8.o. Any food grade alkaline material such as sodlum hydroxide may be utllized to ad~ust the pH. The material ls then lmmersed in the hydrogen peroxide solutlon for an effective time and at an ef~ective temperature to obtaln the color of tuna.
An arbltrary tuna color has been determlned on a Gardner Colori-meter, manufactured by Gardner Labs, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland 20014 to ha~e the li~htness L=40-50 after retort cooklng. The tuna color after decolorlng should be about L=58. The rate of color llghtenlng ls a function of hydrogen peroxide concentration, tem-perature and tlme. The concentratlon of the hydrogen peroxide may range from about 0.2 to 1% by weight hydrogen peroxlde. About a one hour reaction time at room temperature with 0.5% hydro~en peroxide would be suitable for obtainlng a tuna color in the heat set extruded minced meat materlal. The same concentratlon of hydrogen peroxide at 50C would require a reaction tlme of about one-half hour.
The decolored materlal may be removed from the hydrogen peroxlde solution and allowed to drain. The residual hydrogen peroxide can be removed by any standard technique which does not 1 16385~

leave any deleterious matter ln or on the fish. The hydrogen peroxide can be removed by water washing or by compressing lightly to squeeze out excess liquid. A preferred method is to contact the decolored flsh with a dilute solution Or catalase containing about 50 units of catalase per kg of decolored minced meat material. The catalase can be easily removed by draining since the minced meat ls dewatered to about a level o~ 30g solids, similar to the sollds level of loin meat.
About 40% of the extruded heat set, dec~lored mlnced meat may be dlced and mixed with about 60% of the diced loin meat.
Thls ratio is variable and not intended to be limiting, for ratios Or 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 55/45, 50/50 and 45/55 produced acceptable and palatable canned tuna products. After combinlng of the loin and decolored minced meat, the mlxture is canned and retorted ln accordance with conventional procedures.
Accordingly, the process of the lnstant lnvention pro-duces a decolored, restructured product that has the texture, ~lavor and aroma Or loln portions o~ flsh.
The followlng examples are for purposes of illustration and are not lntended to be limlting. For example, various modi-flcatlons may be made such as the use of other types of flsh materlal and other types o~ extrusion and heat setting equlpment.
EXAMPLE I
Thawed, sklp ~ack tuna weighing about 6 to 8 pounds were butchered and welghed ror a total whole fish weight of 238 kilo-grams. They were mechanically separated into 64.5 kllogram~ of loin and 62.7 kilograms of minced meat whlch comprlse mechanlcally deboned collars, carcass, red or dark meat portlons and skln. The minced meat was then mlxed wlth 5 liters of soybean oil, 450 grams of drled whole egg and 1.26 grams of FD&C Red ~3. The mixture was then added to the hopper of a Bach Flller and extruded through a 1/8 lnch by 1 lnch oriflce lnto 200 liters of water maintained at a temperature of 83C. As the ribbon of material was heat set in the water bath, the bath was stlrred to prevent the agglomera-tlon o~ the ribbon. The water bath containing structured meat in ribbon ~orm was then cooled to 55C and then 1.5 liter of a 30%
hydrogen peroxide solutlon was added to lnitlate decolorlng. The water bath was occaslonally stirred, and after 60 minutes, the color of the structured meat was read on a Gardner Colorimeter.
This reading was ~=59. The water and decolored restructured meat in rlbbon form were cooled to 45C and an excess of catalase was added. The solution was held at thls tem~erature for 20 minutes wlth occaæional stirring. The absence of peroxide was noted when the gas bubbles eluting from the solution had disappeared. The decolored, restructured material was then drained and pressed by hand to remove excess water.
Slmultaneous to the preceeding decolorlng procedure, the loins were cooked with steam at 100C to an internal temperature o~ 55C and cooled. The lolns resultlng from thls operatlon were dlced to a particle slze of about 1" x 1" x 1" and mixed with the de¢olored, re~trùctured material in a ratio of about 55/45. The mlxture was then canned and retorted. The product was then revlewed by a taste panel which concluded lt had simllar aroma, taste, mouthfeel, color and texture as chunk light tuna.
Having described the present invention wlth reference to these specl~lc embodiments, it i8 to be understood that numerous varlatlons may be made wlthout departlng from the splrlt of the present invention and it ls lntended to encompass such measurable varlatlons or equlvalents wlthln the scope thereof.

Claims (27)

What is claimed is:

1. A process for producing a fish product comprising-comminuting red meat portions of fish including trim, bellies, carcass and skin to form a minced meat mass, adding a heat stable red dye so that the color of the minced meat matches the natural color of the fish after retorting, mechanically working and extruding the minced meat mass through a restricted orifice at room temperature, heat setting or cooking the extruded minced meat, and decoloring the extruded minced meat so that it resembles loin portions of fish.

2. The process of Claim 1 wherein the extruded decolored meat mass is combined with loin portions of fish.

3. The process of Claim 2 wherein the extruded decolored minced meat is combined with loin portions of the fish in a ratio selected from the group consisting of 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 55/45, 50/50, 45/55 and 40/60.

4. The process of Claim 1 wherein from about 10 to about 30 mg of the heat stable red dye are added to each kilogram of minced meat.

5. The process of Claim 4 wherein 20 mg of the heat stable red dye are added to each kilogram of minced meat.

6. The process of Claim 1 wherein the minced meat mass is mixed with about 1 to about 20% by weight vegetable oil prior to extruding.

7. The process of Claim 6 wherein the minced meat mass is mixed with about 1% hydrogenated vegetable oil.

8. The process of Claim 1 wherein the extruded minced meat mass is heat set or cooked in a hot water bath.

9. The process of Claim 8 wherein the temperature of the hot water bath is below that which extracts the oil present in the minced meat.

10. The process of Claim 9 wherein the temperature of the water is about 75 to 90°C.

11. The process of Claim 1 wherein the extruded minced meat is decolored by being immersed in an aqueous solution con-taining hydrogen peroxide at a level of about 0.2 to about 1% by weight.

12. The process of Claim 11 wherein the pH of the solu-tion ranges from 4.0 to 8Ø

13. The process of Claim 11 wherein the extruded decolored minced meat is dewatered to about 30% by weight solids level.

14. The process of Claim 1 wherein the fish is selected from the group consisting of tuna and tuna-like species.

15. A process for producing a fish product comprising:
comminuting red meat portions of fish including trim, bellies, carcass and skin to form a minced meat mass, adding a heat stable red dye so that the color of the minced meat matches the natural color of the fish after retorting, mechanically working and extruding the minced meat mass through a restricted orifice at room temperature, heat setting or cooking the extruded minced meat, and decoloring the extruded minced meat so that it resembles loin por-tions of fish and combining the extruded decolored minced meat with loin portions of fish.

16. The process of Claim 15 wherein the extruded decolored minced meat is combined with loin portions of fish in a ratio selected from the group consisting of 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 55/45, 50/50, 45/55 and 40/60.

17. The process of Claim 15 wherein from about 10 to about 30 mg of the heat stable red dye are added to each kilogram of minced meat.

18. The process of Claim 17 wherein 20 mg of the heat stable red dye are added to each kilogram of minced meat.

19. The process of Claim 15 wherein the minced meat mass is mixed with about 1 to about 20% by weight vegetable oil prior to extruding.

20. The process of Claim 19 wherein the minced meat mass is mixed with about 1% hydrogenated vegetable oil.

21. The process of Claim 15 wherein the extruded minced meat mass is heat set or cooked in a hot water bath.

22. The process of Claim 21 wherein the temperature of the hot water bath is below that which extracts the oil pre-sent in the minced meat.

23. The process of Claim 22 wherein the temperature of the wtter is about 75 to 90°C.

24. The process of Claim 15 wherein the extruded minced meat is decolored by being immersed in an aqueous solution containing hydrogen peroxide at a level of about 0.2 to about 1%
by weight.

25. The process of Claim 24 wherein the pH of the solu-tion ranges from 4.0 to 8Ø

26. The process of Claim 24 wherein the extruded decolored minced meat is dewatered to about 30% by weight solids level.

27. The process of Claim 15 wherein the fish is selected from the group consisting of tuna and tuna-like species.